The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

Finally, the drums sounded.

A muffled sound emanated from deep within the gatehouse, shaking the stillness of the morning.

This means the door is about to open.

The central gate of the Meridian Gate slowly opened a crack, but it was only the passage for the imperial carriage and a very small number of nobles to enter and exit.

Ma Wenyuan was a military officer and could only follow the military officer procession to the right side gate, while the civil officer procession split off to the left side gate.

After entering, Ma Wenyuan walked forward along the west passageway. The white marble passageway under his feet was no more than ten feet wide, with towering vermilion palace walls on both sides.

The procession stopped south of Jinshui Bridge.

The troupe leader, holding a command flag, checked and re-established the order.

As I said before, the necessary procedures must be followed.

The matter is over.

Suddenly, a long, drawn-out command rang out.

"Crack the whip—!"

Then came the cracking sound of the guard general wielding his long whip, the sound echoing three times through the empty palace walls.

This is the order to enter the court.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial loudly proclaimed, "Cross the bridge in order!"

Upon receiving the order, all officials moved into action. Civil officials followed the left side of the imperial road, while military officials followed the right side, passing in single file across the white stone surface of the Golden Water Bridge.

The bridge was not wide, and it was already crowded for three or four people to walk side by side. Ma Wenyuan followed the group in front of him and moved forward steadily.

At this moment, a hint of dawn was breaking on the horizon, and the outline of Fengtian Hall gradually became clear in the morning light.

After crossing the bridge, the procession was led by officials to the steps in front of the Fengtian Hall.

The so-called Danchi is a large platform below the Danbi of Fengtian Hall, used to accommodate officials in their ranks.

Ma Wenyuan stood in his assigned position, with military officers (right side) on the west side of the imperial road and civil officials (left side) on the east side. The two groups of officials stood facing each other, and this was the "daily life".

The official from the Ceremonial Office stepped forward, stood below the steps, bowed, and announced: "Prepare for the outer preparations—"

This is the first crucial procedure of today's court assembly: to report to the emperor that all officials have assembled and request his presence at court.

Ma Wenyuan took a deep breath and began to look straight ahead, only hearing the sound of boots stepping on golden bricks coming from inside the hall.

That was the sound of the guide leading the imperial procession to the throne.

Simply put, Old Zhu has arrived.

A short while later, the guide walked out of the palace and stood on the steps.

The official in charge of announcing the order immediately shouted, "Form ranks!"

The sound of "scheduling" was heard from near to far, carried layer by layer.

Upon receiving the order, all the officials moved. Ma Wenyuan adjusted his position and turned around with the military officers on his left and right to face the steps, no longer in a confrontational posture.

The civil officials were on the east side of the imperial road, and the military officials were on the west side. They stood in a single line according to their rank, and their faces changed from facing each other to facing north.

This is the etiquette for meeting the emperor.

Officials had to face north because the emperor's dragon throne was located in the center of the Fengtian Hall, directly in the north.

"Everyone, get ready!"

The officiant chanted again in a loud voice.

The two groups of officials remained still, and the entire imperial court was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

The guide on the steps shouted loudly, and the rustling of official robes sounded almost simultaneously. All the officials bowed in unison, and then knelt down at the command of the attendant.

Ma Wenyuan held his tablet with both hands, his forehead touching the ground, just like all other officials.

The complex rituals of dance and shouting during the Tang Dynasty were greatly simplified during the Ming Dynasty.

However, the proper rules still need to be followed, such as the five bows and three kowtows, which Old Zhu considered to be grand ceremonies.

"Perform the five prostrations!" the tongzan chanted loudly.

Ma Wenyuan bowed along with the crowd, first standing up, then bowing down again, repeating this three times, which is called "three bows".

After bowing down for the third time, Ma Wenyuan did not get up.

Instead, he kowtowed three times in a row, his forehead hitting the stone slab painfully, but this was a necessary procedure.

And it must be done perfectly, without the slightest mistake.

Otherwise, a huge accusation will be leveled against Ma Wenyuan.

After the ceremony, the announcer continued chanting: "Head of the class, step forward! Greetings!"

Ma Wenyuan did not look up.

The footsteps of two squad leaders could be heard coming from the front of the procession, walking step by step in the middle of the imperial road until they stopped below the steps.

"Your Majesty, Li Shanchang, Left Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, and Feng Sheng, Right Vice-General of the Grand Military Commission, respectfully await Your Majesty's arrival and bestow upon you a thousand blessings!"

The Yuan Dynasty revered the right, but after Zhu Yuanzhang established the country, he deliberately changed the system and revered the left.

Therefore, Li Shanchang was the head of the civil officials.

The master of ceremonies answered on behalf of the emperor: "May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings!"

Upon hearing this, the two bowed again, then rose and returned to their positions. The chief steward then loudly proclaimed, "Both bow again!"

The officials bowed twice more.

After everyone had finished bowing, the official in charge of the Imperial Household Department announced, "Rise!"

Ma Wenyuan suddenly stood up, feeling a little dizzy.

It's likely they didn't eat breakfast. Ma Wenyuan didn't know how these civil and military officials could be so resilient.

Doing this every day is fine.

What Ma Wenyuan found even more amazing was that if even a morning court session was so difficult, some emperors also held afternoon and evening court sessions.

Wouldn't that mean spending the whole day bowing?

Fortunately, it's time to move on to the next stage.

"If there is anything to report, step forward and speak early; otherwise, roll up the curtain and leave the court!"

The master of ceremonies' voice echoed through the hall.

If ministers from various departments are preoccupied with official duties and have matters to report, this is the time for them to enter the palace.

According to the regulations of the first and fifteenth days of the lunar calendar, officials from various government offices who had matters to report to the emperor would all ascend the western steps to the palace and report to the emperor.

Ma Wenyuan ignored it, saying he would discuss things privately.

Moreover, matters that officials would discuss in court were usually communicated to Zhu Yuanzhang beforehand.

It is extremely rare for a memorial to be submitted without prior notice, and only during court sessions.

There's no other reason than that every word spoken during court sessions was recorded by the court officials.

Even the emperor has to be careful with his words and actions. What if your memorial makes the emperor "embarrass"?

You might have intended to surprise the emperor, but what you actually did was a shock.

Admittedly, the records kept by the imperial court officials could be altered, and the emperor could change things he didn't want.

But the emperor would always be unhappy, not everyone likes to change the daily records of the emperor's life.

As everyone knows, if the emperor is unhappy, then the person who makes the emperor unhappy will certainly not be happy either.

Especially the founding emperors (except for Li Yuan).

Getting back to the main point, just like any other morning ceremony, there was only a formality and no meeting.

This time, no one reported anything.

According to the regulations, he immediately retreated from the court, and all civil and military officials returned to their respective homes to handle their own affairs.

This is the rotten stuff of feudal dynasties.

Formalism outweighs pragmatism.

Ma Wenyuan didn't know what to say.

Ma Wenyuan felt it necessary to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for a special decree exempting him from participating in the New Year and Full Year ceremonies.

However, we still can't ask for it without any real effort, as all the merits we made in Shu have already been redeemed.

Old Zhu doesn't owe him anything now; on the contrary, he owes Old Zhu something.

Because they gave too much.

It wasn't a good thing to always rely on his sister's protection, so Ma Wenyuan felt he had to do something to get this special appointment in return.

Who could bear to participate in this New Moon and Full Moon celebration?

It was completely useless; all they did was bow and kowtow.

It's not practical to not come.

Didn't you see Xu Da, who had just returned to the capital, and Li Shanchang, who held immense power in the court?

Ma Wenyuan is nobody. He can skip court meetings normally without anyone saying anything, but if he skips court meetings on the first and fifteenth of each month, he'll be labeled as someone who doesn't know etiquette.

As Ma Wenyuan walked out of the palace, his thoughts were interrupted before he could think of what to exchange it for.

"Is that the Emperor's brother-in-law?"

A slightly jarring sound rang out from a distance.

These words weren't spoken directly to Ma Wenyuan, but they were clearly aimed at him.

Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a tall, red-faced young man looking at him.

Ma Wenyuan frowned slightly; he recognized the man.

I saw it just recently.

Currently serving as the Assistant Commander of the Grand General's Office, a third-rank official, named Blue Jade Peeling Skin and Cultivating Herbs.